MANETTIA. 



176 



MANURES. 



in the fissures. By attending to these I 

 particulars the Maminillarias may be 

 easily grown in any situations where 

 they can be kept free from frost. 

 "When grown in a room, they should 

 be allowed as much air as possible ; 

 and the dust which lodges among their 

 spines should be frequently blown off 

 with a small pair of bellows, but the 

 plants themselves should never be 

 watered overhead. 



Manchineel. — See Hippomane. 



Mandragora. — Solanacece. — M. 

 autumnalis Spr. (Atrbpa Man- 

 dragora L.), the common Man- 

 drake, is a perennial plant, with pur- 

 ple flowers, resembling those of the 

 Alkegengi, or Kite-flower, respecting 

 which many fabulous stories have 

 been told, all of which have no other 

 foundation than a supposed resem- 

 blance between the roots of the man- 

 drake and the figure of a man. There 

 are several species of Mandragora, 

 some of which have white flowers, 

 and others yellow : and they are all 

 more or less poisonous, being nearly 

 allied to the Deadly Nightshade, and 

 having the same stupifving qualities. 

 They grow best in calcareous, or a 

 sandy soil. 



Mandrake. — See Mandragora. 



Manettia. — Rubiacece. — Climb- 

 ing plants, some of which require a 

 stove in England ; though one species, 

 M. cordifolia Hook. (M. glabra 

 Dec), which has very handsome bright 

 scarlet tube-like flowers, is generally 

 grown in a greenhouse. It is a native 

 of Buenos Ayres, whence it was intro- 

 duced in 1831, and, like many plants 

 from that country, it will very pro- 

 bably stand the summer in the open 

 border in England. It should be 

 grown in a mixture of sandy peat and 

 loam ; and when kept in a pot, it 

 should be allowed plenty of room for 

 its roots, and abundance of fresh air 

 as often as possible. It is propagated 

 by cuttings, which must be struck in 

 sand, with bottom heat. 



Mangi'fera. — Terebinthaceee. — 

 The Mango Tree. A native of both 

 the East and the West Indies, with 

 white flowers, which requires a stove 

 in England. The fruit is said to be 

 of remarkably fine flavour in its native 

 country. The plant in England 

 should be grown in very sandy loam, 

 and the pots well drained, as it is 

 very apt to damp off. 



Mango Tree. — See Mangifera. 

 Mangosteen. — Garc'mia Man- 

 gostana. — This celebrated fruit, 

 which is so highly spoken of by tra- 

 vellers in Java, &c, belongs to the 

 same genus as the Gamboge tree, and 

 both require a stove in England. 

 They are, however, very seldom 

 grown in this country. 



Mangrove. — Rhizophora Man- 

 gle ; a tree a native of the East In- 

 dies, and some parts of Africa, grow- 

 ing in marshy places, and seldom 

 found in England. 



Ma'nihot. — See Ja'tropha. 

 Mantisia. — Scitaminea. — M. 

 Saltatoria, the Opera Girls, is a plant, 

 the flowers of which appear before the 

 leaves, and which really look some- 

 thing like dancing figures fantasti- 

 cally dressed. The plant requires a 

 stove in England, and it should be 

 grown in a mixture of turfy loam, 

 peat, and sand, kept rather moist, but 

 well drained. It is increased by 

 dividing the root. 



Manures, in Floriculture, are little 

 wanted, and in general leaf-mould, or 

 hotbed dung, or any kind of ferment- 

 able material, consisting chiefly of 

 vegetable matter, is to be preferred. 

 See Leaf Mould. Thoroughly de- 

 composed stable-dung is produced by 

 turning it over every three or four 

 weeks in summer, when fermentation 

 is active, or three or four times in 

 winter, when it is more slow ; and in 

 either case it is fit for use when it can 

 be passed through a coarse sieve. It 

 is to be mixed with the soil in propor- 

 tions dependent on the nature of the 



